


The new place

by bunnysworld



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-15 22:52:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12330453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnysworld/pseuds/bunnysworld
Summary: It’s Merlin’s first night in his new place





	The new place

Merlin started up. What was that sound? With beating heart, he listened into the darkness. The sound was gone. Or at least that was what Merlin hoped. He couldn’t hear much over the sound of his beating heart anyway.

Slowly, he laid down again, and pulled the duvet over his shoulder. He had hoped that he would sleep like a baby or at least fall into an exhaustion coma after the last two days of moving into the new place. Gwen had said that whatever he would dream of on his first night sleeping here would become true. Merlin doubted he would be able to sleep at all.

When his heartbeat had gone back to normal, Merlin’s ears were ringing. It was so much quieter here than in his old place, it seemed he heard his blood rush or was it tinnitus that he though he heard?

Something creaked and Merlin lay stock still. If he could have stopped breathing, he would have. What if someone was there? He knew that was a stupid thought. Who would sneak into his place and stay hidden until the middle of the night only to come out then and spook him? Well, but…what if?

Merlin’s eyelids slid shut. Maybe it was just ghosts. 

He was wide awake again. What if he had moved into a place that was haunted and now the ghosts came out to look at the new human to torture? Merlin stared into the dark room. 

It wasn’t all dark, there was enough light of the street lamps so he could see shadows. Over there was his closet, he had just put something in there before he went to bed, so there couldn’t be anyone in there. Through the open door of his bedroom, he could see the outlines of the other big closet. There were too many things already in there and they had filled the empty shelves with moving boxes, so they wouldn’t stand in the way. Nobody in there either.

They were his friends, but Merlin didn’t put it beyond them to play a prank like this on him. Carefully, he got up and tip-toed to the living room where the only usable thing was the couch and the TV set. The rest of the room was still filled with boxes he needed to unpack. Maybe Gwaine was hiding behind them and only waited for his chance to scare the living daylights out of him?

Maybe it was best to keep an eye on the boxes. Merlin sat on the couch and spread the blanket over himself. He knew this was ridiculous, he should just put some earplugs in or the earphones of his MP3 player and block the sounds out. Not that there were many sounds, it was eerily quiet. He was used to noisy and rude neighbours, shouting matches in the middle of the night, slamming doors at all times of day and nobody being considerate at all. That was the reason he had moved. This house was quiet, had a lot less people in it and everyone had the decency to keep the noise down. 

The wind had picked up again, of course there were noises but Merlin jumped when a twig of the tree in front of the house was pushed against his window. 

Merlin pouted. He wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. It was just too creepy. That the people around him had already started to decorate for Halloween didn’t make it easier. 

Carefully, Merlin reached for the remote of the TV but his fingers came up with his mobile. How that had found its way onto the couch, he didn’t know, but he could as well check a few emails. He was sure he had gotten a few throughout the day. 

The first thing he notices was a message.

_Everything alright in your new castle?_

Merlin smiled. Arthur had bitched and moaned all day long, constantly complained that the boxes were too heavy and insisted that Merlin had way too much crap. He had helped anyway and now he had sent this message. Not only five minutes ago. 

_Can’t sleep_

It wasn’t quite the truth, Merlin was sure that he was tired enough to sleep if it weren’t for the weird noises he wasn’t used to.

 _Too quiet?_

The response was immediate, so Arthur was obviously still awake.

_Kind of. And weird noises_

When Merlin didn’t get an answer in the next fifteen minutes, he decided that Arthur probably had just checked his mobile on the way to the loo and was back in bed, sound asleep. 

_Let me in_

Merlin blinked when the message came in.

_Huh?_

__

__

_I don’t want to wake your neighbours. Just open up. It’s fucking cold tonight_

Merlin scrambled out from underneath his blanket and snuck to the window. When he peeked out, he saw Arthur standing at the door downstairs, gesturing at him. He went to push the button that opened the door and then unlocked the door to his apartment. 

“You’re such a girl, Merlin.” Arthur sounded sleepy. 

Merlin let him in. “What are you doing here?” He couldn’t believe it. It was 2:30 in the morning and Arthur was standing in his place. 

“Rescuing you from dragons.” Arthur took his jacket off, rubbed at his eye and yawned. He was still in the sweatpants and t-shirt Merlin knew made his pyjamas. 

“Dragons?” Merlin stared.

Sighing and rolling his eyes dramatically, Arthur looked around. “Weird noises and too much silence.”

“So you’ve decided to come over and talk to me all night?”

Arthur shook his head. “No. Nobody can bear your babbling at this time of night.” He grabbed Merlin by the shoulder and steered him back to the bedroom, where he yawned again and climbed into the bed. 

Merlin just stood there and watched, his tired brain trying to catch up. 

“What are you waiting for?”

Quickly, he slid under the covers and immediately felt Arthur’s arm around his waist and his warmth against his back. 

“Sleep now,” Arthur whispered and Merlin finally closed his eyes.


End file.
